Kiwanis moves into new food bank

The Sisters Kiwanis Club now has a highly functional new facility from which to serve the Sisters community.

The service club moved into its new food bank facility on Main Avenue earlier this month, just west of the corner of Main Avenue and Oak Street. A grand opening celebration is planned for Sunday, November 3, at 1 p.m.

For years, that corner was the hub of Kiwanis' food bank operation, which was created to help people in need in the greater Sisters area in 1983. Last year, 3,632 clients, including children, were served from a sorely outdated building and storage area.

The building project involved removal of the pre-World War II garage where Kiwanis had operated the food bank, and construction of a safe and functional food bank warehouse, office, and reception area on the Kiwanis property at the corner of Main Avenue and Oak Street in Sisters. The overall cost of the project was $125,000. Kiwanis contributed $24,000 directly and raised funds and received grants for the balance.

Shirley Lalli extolled the virtues of the new facility.

"We're now ADA compliant. It's just nicer," she said. "They designed it so we can back a pickup through a big double door in the back and get it out of the weather. It's just a really well-put-together building."

Greg Kutz designed the new facility.

Applications for the Kiwanis annual Christmas Food Share Program are now available at the food bank, at the Sisters Family Access Network office and at local churches.

Lalli reported that the food share program will again use gift certificates as they did last year. Food 4 Less in Bend and Melvin's Fir Street Market in Sisters are the participating markets. Ray's elected not to participate in the gift certificate program this year, Lalli said, but the Sisters supermarket continues to be a supporter of Kiwanis operations.

"Ray's is still a major food contributor," Lalli said. "Ray's has been an amazing partner for Kiwanis."

Cash donations to the Christmas Food Share program are appreciated. To make a tax-deductible contribution send checks to P.O. Box 1296 Sisters, OR 97759.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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